Retail sales: another worrying sign
Yesterday’s monthly figures from the Office for National Statistics for retail sales show sales falling whether measured by value or by volume. On both measures, the Retail Sales Index for August was 0.5 per cent lower than in July. If this is a blip, all well and good, but the government will worry that it could be the start of a trend, especially as this decline can be seen in most retail sectors:
Retail Sales Index, seasonally adjusted, percentage change on previous month
| Measured by Value | |
| All retail |
-0.5 |
| All retail excluding fuel |
-0.4 |
| Predominantly Food |
-0.5 |
| Total predominantly non-food |
-0.6 |
| Non-specialised stores |
0.7 |
| Textile, clothing & Footwear |
0.0 |
| Household goods |
-0.4 |
| Other |
-2.0 |
| Non-store retail |
1.6 |
| Mainly fuel |
-0.8 |
| Measured by Volume | |
| All retail |
-0.5 |
| All retail excluding fuel |
-0.4 |
| Predominantly Food |
-0.5 |
| Total predominantly non-food |
-0.7 |
| Non-specialised stores |
0.9 |
| Textile, clothing & Footwear |
-0.4 |
| Household goods |
-0.5 |
| Other |
-2.1 |
| Non-store retail |
2.1 |
| Mainly fuel |
-0.9 |